Weighing and packaging apparatus



April 8, 1952 F. SLUSHER WEIGHING AND PACKAGING APPARATUS 2 SHEETS SHEET 1 Filed Aug. 29, 1.946

a R L W. J l|| nk UT m 1, T aw F wm j vq mlw an an 3 mm aw April 8, 1952 F. SLUSHER WEIGHING AND PACKAGING APPARATUS 2 SHEETS SHEET 2 Filed Aug. 29, 1946 LEE Patented Apr. 8, 1952 WEIGHIN G AND PACKAGING APPARATUS Frank Slusher, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The B. F.

Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a. corporation of New York Application August 29, 1946, Serial No. 693,719

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for weighing and packaging and is especiall useful in the packaging of rubber bands.

The principal objects of the invention are to weigh the articles accurately and to compact the articles in a container.

Other objects are to provide for progressive feed of material to a container and control of the feed by weight of the container, to provide for compacting of the material in the container at the end of the filling operation, to provide against operation of the control mechanism before the feeding mechanism is started, to accomplish Weighing and packaging with a minimum of handling, and to provide simplicity of construction and facility of operation.

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the drawings,

Fig. l is a side elevation of apparatus constructed in accordance with and embodying the invention, parts being broken away,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof,

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a wiring and piping diagram of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral Ii! designates the frame of the apparatus which supports a hopper I I having an inclined bottom wall I2. A conveyor belt I3 is trained about an .upper pulley I4 and a lower pulley I5 with its upper reach extending along the wall I2 of the hopper. The belt has flight-bars I 3a fixed thereto and travels in a direction to feed the material, such as rubber bands upwardly along the bottom wall I2. The upper pulley I4 is fixed to a shaft IB journaled on the frame I0 in bearings ll. The lower pulley is fixed to a shaft I8 journaled in boxes I9 slideably mounted for adjustment of ten sion of the belt in brackets .28 fixed to the frame. An opening 24 is formed at the bottom of the hopper to clear the belt, and a flexible flap 25 of rubber and fabric material is fixed to the hopper in position to normally close the opening and to a be deflected by passage of the fiightbars.

A delivery boot 21 is fixed to the frame I0 about the upper roll I4 in position to receive material passing over the upper roll I4 and deliver it to a container 28 through a funnel 29 supported by the beam 3 I.

The invention contemplates control of the filling of containers by the Weight thereof. To this end the container 28 rests on the pan 3!] .of a

scale beam 3I pivoted to the frame at 32. A counterweight 33 is suspended from the opposite end of the beam and normally holds the pan in its uppermost position. The beam also supports a permanent magnet 34 in a position close to a mercury switch 35. The mercury switch has an armature adapted to be attracted by the magnet. The switch is of the single-pole singlethrow type and is supplied by electric current through lines 31, 38. The magnet operates the switch when the magnet is moved toward the switch by movement of the beam under the weight of a filled package to initiate certain operations as hereinafter described.

For supplying the hopper II with material at such speed that the material is not compacted on the conveyor belt but is delivered to it at substantially the speed of withdrawal by the belt, a supply drum 40 is rotatably supported on bearings 4| fixed to the frame Ill. The peripheral walls of the drum are of apertured material such as woven wire or perforated metal. The size of the openings is dependent upon the size of the article to be packaged. In the case of narrow rubber bands two inches in length, the openings should be about one inch square. For shorter rubber bands the openings should be correspondingly smaller.

If the hopper I I were filled with rubber bands, the bands would be compacted and would bridge over the conveyor belt. The object of the drum is to feed the bands gradually to the belt so that such bridging and compacting is avoided.

For rotating the drum and moving the com veyor belt, a motor 43 is fixed to frame 10 and drives a speed reducer 44 which has a sprocket 45 which in turn drives a sprocket 46 fixed to shaft I8 through a chain 41. Another sprocket 50, fixed to shaft It drives a chain 5| which engages a sprocket 52 fixed to a shaft 53. Shaft 53 is rotatably mounted in brackets 54, 54, mounted on hopper II. A swing frame 55 is journaled on shaft 53 and a shaft 56 is journaled in bearings at its outer end. A sprocket 55v is fixed to shaft 55 and is drawn from shaft 53 by a chain 51 and a sprocket 58 fixed thereto. Another sprocket 59 fixed to shaft 56 engages a sprocket chain 60 which encompasses the drum .40 and is welded thereto. Swing frame 55 is connected to frame I0 by a link 6i. These have notches 62 for engaging pins on the boot at positions where the sprocket 59-is in or out of mesh with chain 60.

The drum 40 has a door 65 over an opening 68 therein, and in the position of the sprocket '59 3 where the sprocket is out of mesh with the chain 60, the drum may be rotated by hand and the drum loaded with material through the door opening.

To further prevent accumulation of the band material in the bottom of the hopper I I a shaft I is rotatably mounted in bearings carried by the hopper. A paddle II is fixed to the shaft within the hopper. A jack-shaft i2 is rotatably mounted in bearings I3, I3 fixed to frame I0. Shaft 12 is driven from the speed reducer 44 by a chain I4 and sprocket l5. Shaft I0 is driven from shaft I2 by a sprocket chain I6 engaging sprockets 11, I8 on the shaft respectively.

For compacting the bands or other material in the package, a double-acting pressure-fluid-operated cylinder 80 is fixed to the frame I0. A plunger 0i is fixed to its piston rod in position to move vertically through the funnel 29. The cylinder is operated by a four-way solenoid operated valve 82 having an operating solenoid 83 for moving its piston to the lowered position, and a coil spring 84 for normally holding the valve in a position to move the piston to the upper position. Pipes 86, 8! connect the valve to opposite ends of the cylinder and act alternately as supply and exhaust pipes. A limit switch 80 is mounted on the cylinder in position to be engaged by a stop 89 mounted on a rod 90 fixed to the plunger BI. At the lowered position of the plunger, the normally closed limit switch is enflexible paddles 93 of rubber and fabric eonstruction fixed thereto. The paddles just clear the flight bars lila. To clear edges of the conveyor belt and thereby prevent articles from becoming wedged between the belt and its guide trough,

brushes 94 are fixed to ends of the paddles 93 and sweep the margins of the belt where they come close to the guide trough 95.

For preventing further immediate feed of material from the conveyor belt upon the package .being filled in case the conveyor does not stop instantly and to remove any bands protruding from the conveyor in the path of the plunger, a

jet pipe 96 is located in the boot 21 and hasjets directed attheroller it. It is connected to a high pressure air supply such as the pipe 8? so that simultaneous with lowering of plunger 3| air under high pressure is blown against the conveyor belt at roll I l blowing back oncoming material and effecting a retreat of material at the delivery end of the conveyor until the plunger connect lines I00, I0! to motor M, starting the At the same time contacts I06 and conveyor.

I0! are closed. Contact I06 is in a holding circuit around the foot switch 9| and keeps solenoid I03 engaged after the operators foot is removed from switch 9 I. This holding circuit is from line I00 by way of solenoid I03, contact I06, line I08,

solenoid valve 82 and solenoid H2.

normally closed contact I09, and line III] to line IOI.

Contact I01, in closing, makes possible the operation of mercury switch 35 after the foot switch 9| has been depressed. It is for the purpose of preventing premature operations due to closing of mercury switch 35 by the placing of a container on the scale pan to before the motor M is running.

With the motor it running, loading of the container with material to the desired weight tips scale pan 30, moving the fixed magnet 34 to a position where it attracts the armature of the mercury switch 35, closing the switch. This completes a circuit from line I00 by way of line Ill solenoid H2, line H3, contact I01, line I20 mercury switch 35, and line I I0 to line IOI, energizing solenoid N2 of solenoid switch H6. With the energizing of solenoid] I2 contactor I09 opens the holding circuit through line I08, stopping motor 43 and closes a circuit which energizes the solenoidvalve 82 through line H4. Simultaneously a contact II5 of solenoid valve H6 closes a connection from lines I00 and III through solenoid I I2 and contact II5 and by way of line II8, normally closed limit 80, line H0 and line IIO to line H.

Solenoid valve 82 is reversed by the energizing of its solenoid so as to supply compressed air to pipe 07 and to connect pipe 86 to exhaust. This causes ram 8! to descend and at the same time forces compressed air from jet pipe 95 against the conveyor. At the bottom of its stroke, the cam 89 contacts normally closed limit switch 88 and opens the circuit therethrough deenergizing The spring then reverses valve 82 returning the ram 8| to its uppermost position.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: An empty container is placed on the scale pan 30 over the mouth of tunnel 29 and a supply of rubber bands or other material to be packaged is placed in the drum 40. The foot-switch 9| is then depressed starting the motor 44 and with it the conveyor belt I3 and the drum 40.

As the bands or other articles are sifted by the drum onto the belt, they are carried upwardly and deposited through the funnel 29 through the container 28. When the container is loaded to the desired weight the conveyor and drum are automatically stopped and bands protruding beyond the conveyor are blown back onto the conveyor and the ram 0i descends, pushing the articles through the funnel and packing the articles in the container. The plunger then rises and the container is removed.

Variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for weighing and packaging re-- silient elastic rubber bands, said apparatus comprising a rotatable drum having an apertured peripheral surface for depositing the bands, a hopper enclosing the lower part of said drum, a conveyor belt having an inclined reach arranged along an inclined wall of the hopper to receive and elevate the bands, a rotatable paddle wheel located above the conveyor belt at said reach for trimming the load of bands on said belt, a funnel for receiving bandsfrom the upper end of said reach, a jet at said funnel opposed to the travel of bands at the upper end of said reach, a high pressure air supply connected to said jet. a scale beam having a pan below said funnel for supporting a container to be filled, a valve controlling said jet, means for driving said drum, said belt and said paddle wheel, a switch controlled by movement of said scale beam under load of a filled container for stopping said driving means and said paddle wheel, a tamper in alignment with said funnel and operating therethrough to tamp the filled container, and means operated by said switch for supplying air to said jet to bias the advance of bands by said conveyor belt and to effect a retreat of bands at the delivery end of said conveyor belt and operat ing said tamper simultaneously with stopping of said driving means.

2. Apparatus for weighing and packaging resilient rubber bands, said apparatus comprising a scale beam adapted to support a container to be filled, a funnel above said beam for guiding bands to said container, an upwardly inclined conveyor belt for. elevating bands and delivering them to said funnel, an air jet mounted at the delivery end of the belt and directed toward said belt to oppose delivery of bands to said funnel, a high pressure air supply connec'wd to said jet and means operable in response to lowering of said scale beam under the load of a filled container for effecting an arrest of advance of said belt and simultaneous direction of a blast of air against advance of the bands to effect a retreat of bands at the delivery end of said conveyor belt.

3. Apparatus for weighing and packaging resilient rubber bands, said apparatus comprising a scale beam adapted to support a container to be filled, a funnel above said beam for guidin bands to said container, an upwardly inclined conveyor belt for elevating bands and deliverin them to said funnel, means for loading said belt with bands, an air jet mounted at th delivery end of the belt and directed toward said belt to oppose delivery of bands to said funnel, a high pressure air supply connected to said jet, and means operable in response to lowering of said scale beam under the load of a filled container for effecting an arrest or" advance of said belt and simultaneous direction of a blast of air against advance of said bands to effect a retreat of bands at the delivery end of the conveyor.

4. Apparatus for weighing and packaging re- 6 silient rubber bands, said apparatus comprising a scale beam adapted to support a container to be filled, a funnel above said beam for guiding bands to said container, an upwardly inclined guideway terminating at said funnel, a conveyor belt supported by said guideway for elevating bands and delivering them to said funnel, a rotatable trimming wheel having pliable blades spaced above said conveyor belt and flanking brush members contacting said guideway to clear the margins of the belt, an air jet mounted at the delivery end of said belt and directed toward said belt to oppose delivery of bands to said f-unnel, a high pressure air supply connected to said jet, and means operable in response to lowering of said scale beam under the load of a filled container for effecting an arrest of advance of said belt and simultaneous direction of a blast of air against advance of said bands to efiect a retreat of bands at the delivery end of the conveyor. FRANK SLUSHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 417,609 Tuck Dec. 17, 1889 1,044,965 Zollner Nov. 19, 1912 1,260,556 Layman Mar. 26, 1918 1,422,002 Shaw July 4, 1922 1,659,087 Hungerford May 8, 1928 1,798,776 Allen Mar. 31, 1931 1,979,492 Russell Nov. 6, 1934 2,060,011 Andreas Nov. 10, 1936 2,170,249 Misner Aug. 22, 1939 2,181,756 Cook Nov. 28, 1939 2,207,885 Howard July 16, 1940 2,303,140 Sackett Nov. 24, 1942 2,333,435 Muskat Nov. 2, 1943 2,352,114 Muskat June 20, 1944 2,357,475 Kane Sept. 4, 1944 2,380,733 Durning July 31, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 713.921 German 1941 

